Axle-lubricating device



1927 A. G. M. MICHELL v AXLE LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 13, 1922 7&2-

Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXLE-LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Application filed February 13, 1922, Serial No. 536,312, and inAustralia February 23, 1921.

The present invention relates to a device for supplying oil to thejournal bearmgs of rotating axles, particularly the axles of railway,tramway and like vehicles. In such vehicles it is customary to constructthe journal bearing in the form of a box, the lower part of which forms.a reservoir for oil and contains an absorbent pad which is in contactwith the journal and which raises the oil from the reservoir andsupplies it to the journal by capillary action. The quantity of oilwhich can be supplied in this way is not, however suflicient forcomplete lubrication, that is to say, for the maintenance of a completeand continuous fluid film between the journal and its bearing, and as analternative means of raising the oil it has been proposed to place inthe oil reservoir, a roller either floating in the oil or supported inbearings so as to make contact with, and to be caused to revolve by, thejournal, thereby continuously raising the oil to the journal, so long asthe axle continues to revolve.

In practice, however, it has been found that such rollers tend to wearirregularly and to become unbalanced owing to varymg pressures beingexerted between the roller and the journal, due to impacts .and olting,as the wheels of the vehicle run over the more or less irregular roadsurface.

The object of the present invention is to provide a roller-lubricatingdevice which shall be practically unaffected by such 1mpacts andconsequent irregular wear, and which is adapted to be rotatedcontinuously by the friction of the journal, and to 11ft the lubricatingoil in ample volume.

The present invention is distinguished from various roller arrangementsand the object stated achieved by counter-balancing the roller withrespect to its own weight, and subjecting same to a supplementary forceindependent of gravity whereby it is constantly maintained in frictionalcontact with the journal.

The preferred form of construction of this counterbalanced lubricatingdevice, and means of applying driving pressure thereto is shown in theaccompanying sheet ofdrawings in which :-Figure 1 is a longitudinalsection of a railway axle box fitted with the lubricating device, Figure2 is a cross section of the same, and Figure 3 is a plan view of thelubricating device shown separately.

In these drawings the device is illustrated .as applied to a railwayaxle-bearing being arranged in conjunction with a bearing brass of theflexible type described in the present applicants Patent No. 1,315,735dated September 9, 1919. The lubricating roller has the form of anelongated light pulley, having a rounded or crowned external bearingsurface in which are formed numerous small circumferential grooves 2 forthe purpose hereinafter explained. The pulley l is mounted so as torevolve upon a spindle 3, which is securedto the arm 4 of a lever 5,fulcrumed on the'pin 6. The pin 6, is for convenience, mounted in acasing or tray 7, which may surround the whole of the lever 5, as shown.A spring 8, acting in compression between the arm 4 of the lever 5 andthe bottom portion of the casing 7 presses the roller 1 against thelower surface of the axle journal 9. The spring 8 may be retained inposition by a pin 10, which also serves to secure the spindle 8 in thearm 4.

The journal 9 is supported by a journalbrass 11 mounted in the axle box12 in any preferred manner. The plug 13 closes an aperture in the axlebox 12 through which the whole lubricating device mounted in the casing7 may be inserted or Withdrawn. In operation the lower portion of thebox 12 is filled with oil to a level such as indicated by the dottedline 1 1, and, as the journal 9 revolves, it drives the roller 1 byfriction, and the latter lifts the oil in which it is partiallyimmersed, on its surface, and supplies it to the contacting surface ofthe journal-brass 11. The grooves 2 in the rolller 1 materially assistin thus raising the o1 The weight of the roller 1, spindle 3, pin

10 and of the portions of the lever 5 on each side of its fulcrums areso adjusted that the whole, when freed from the action of the spring 8,is balanced about the fulcrum 6 and therefore has stable equilibrium.Such balance is effective not only as to the force of gravity, but alsoas to impulsive forces arising from vertical shocks and impacts impartedto the axle box.

The upward pressure of the roller 1 upon the journal 9 is, therefore,due solely to the elastic force of the spring 8, and remains constant inspite of such shocks and impacts. Any tendency for-flats to be formed orirregular wear to take place owing to impulsive pressures between theroller and journal is thus eliminated.

The method by which the lever 5 is mounted on the fulcrum 6 also admitsof the roller 1 under the action of the spring 8 automatically risingwith the journal 9 in the event of the bearing 11 becoming Worn. Therounded or crowned surface of the roller 1 allows of such movementtaking place while still maintaining suitable working contact betweenthe surfaces of the journal 9 and roller 1, which are shown in such adisplaced position by dotted lines in Figure 1.

It will be understood that the spring 8 may bear directly on the bottomof the axle box 12, and the fulcrum pin 6 may be mounted directly in theaxle box 12 instead of in the casing 7, and that the latter may then bedispensed with.

It has further to be understood that the location of the application ofthe force imparted by the spring 8 is not restricted to the positionillustrated. For example it may be directly applied to depress the armcarrying the counterweight 5, or again, a spring may be wrapped aboutthe pin 6 to apply upWardt-ension to the arm 4.

I claim 1. In an axle-lubricating device, a roller making contact withthe journal of the axle and mounted on a spindle approximately parallelto the axle but capable of deflection relatively thereto by beingbalanced about a spindle transverse to said axle.

2-. An axle-lubricating device consisting of a tray adapted to rest atthe bottom of the axle box, a fulcrum pin in said tray transverse tosaid axle, a lever mounted on said pin as a fulcrum and a spring actingon the lever, said lever carrying at one of its ends a light rollermaking spring-effected contact with the journal of said axle, andsupplying lubricant thereto, the other end of said lever being weightedto counterbalance said roller.

3. In an axle lubricating device, a lever movably supported on a spindletransverse to the axle, said lever being weighted on one side of thespindle and rotatably supporting a roller on the other side of thespindle, and a spring arranged to move the roller against an axle, saidroller havi a longitudinally rounded convex surface capable of makingrolling contact with the axle in varying positions of said lever.

4. In an axle lubricating device, a lever movably supported on a spindletransverse to the axle, said lever being weighted on one side of thespindle and rotatably supporting a roller on the other side of thespindle, and a spring arranged to move the roller against an axle, saidroller having a longitudinally rounded convex surface capable of makingrolling contact with the axle in varying positions of said lever, andthe sur face of said roller being constructed with a plurality oflongitudinally spaced annular oil grooves.

Dated this 7th day of January, 1922.

ANTHONY GEORGE MALDON MZCHELL.

